Captain Sullenberger speaks out in Congressional hearing against job cuts, pay cuts, loss of pension

[ddeclue]

He talked today about how his own pay has been cut 40% and airline pilots have had their company pensions replaced with worthless alternatives in the last few years.

(Source CNNTV)


It was great!

Wonder if he is a Democrat? If so we ought to draft him to run for Congress soon.

Doug D.

[SheilaT]

1. Airline pilots have been

taking it on the chin for a long time now. As well as all other airline employees.

[Jennicut]

2. Hmmmm. It sounds like he is definitely more Dem then Repub.

Or at least embraces more liberal ideas then conservative ones. I really like that Sully.

[LakeSamish706]

3. President Obama should offer him a job as his out front man on the Stimulus Package....

With his current notoriety he would get a great audience.

[CTyankee]

4. Ya think?

Another dashing, handsome, heroic liberal!

People would trust him A LOT!

Great idea...

[cpamomfromtexas]

5. When in uniform, Sully always has on his union pin

[SheilaT]

9. Airline pilots are sometimes a strange combination

of pro-union and conservative. Not all of them, of course. But it's like they just don't make the connection between what their union has done for them, and what unions can do for everyone else. They've achieved a position of privilege and don't really get how privileged they are. However, it's possible that in the past couple of decades, as they've lost pay and retirement benefits, that they may have changed a lot as a group. Plus, at least one former pilot from that airline, and another former pilot from another airline both post here on DU.

No matter what his political leanings, Sully did a remarkable job landing his airplane.

Edited for clarification.

[Uzybone]

10. Probably because a lot of them are ex-military

Hey, as long as they support their union, they are spreading our message.

[chomper]

6. I'm guessing that...

He’s most likely a republican since he lives in Danville, a mostly republican city.

[uponit7771]

8. Being pro union and being reThug?...hmm, we'll see.

[BuyingThyme]

7. Is that the guy from the Love Boat?

[Thrill]

11. He's a union guy. He's not likely to be a Repuke

[RamboLiberal]

12. This guy and his family just sound like all around good people

US Airways Pilot is an Animal Hero, Too!

But friends will tell you that Sullenberger was a hero long before he performed that unbelievable landing. PEOPLE discovered that Sullenberger is an animal lover who has fostered many kittens and become closely involved with Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, Calif.

"Sully's the cat person. I'm the dog person,” his wife Lorrie told PEOPLE in a recent interview. He and Lorrie have opened their home to an untold number of kittens from Tony LaRussa’s Animal Rescue Foundation over the last couple of years, where they care for them until they can be neutered or spayed for adoption. Their 2-year-old cat, Kitty (right), a mute calico, was lucky enough to become a permanent fixture in their home.

"(Sully) loves that cat,” says Lorrie. “He has a special affinity for that cat. He desperately wants her to be a lap-cat. Since the accident, she's actually been leaning up against him."

The Sullenbergers are very active with Guide Dogs for the Blind, by raising puppies for the organization and providing homes for three retired breeding dogs, including their 10-year-old Lab, Twinkle. The Sullenburger’s neighbor, Joe Green, says the couple was instrumental in helping him find a guide dog after he lost his sight several years ago."When Lorrie was out walking the puppy, she saw me walking with a cane and told me about Guide Dogs for the Blind,” Green told PEOPLE. “I didn't know anything about them. I told her I didn't want a dog. I was so vain I didn't want to admit I couldn't see a hand waving in my face. But she and Sully talked me into it, and changed my life."

http://www.peoplepets.com/news/hero/us-airways-pilot-is-an-animal-hero-too/1

[Numba6]

13. Why do I hear strains of a song -"Look for, the union label...." in the background whenever he's on?

union heroes